Mastering His Universe

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Jon Jones might very well be the next big thing in mixed martial arts, but he does not possess the sense of entitlement one might expect from a phenom-in-waiting.

When his car breaks down, he pushes it himself. Just ask Mike Winkeljohn, his stand-up coach at Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts.

“He was training for his fight [against Vladimir Matyushenko] in the summertime. I was driving ... and I see a really tall, skinny guy pushing a car, and I look up and it was Jon Jones,” he tells Sherdog.com. “Somebody else was driving [Jones’ car]. He was too embarrassed to ask for help, and he’s pushing in his bare feet. He’s going to get blisters on his feet. He’s got a fight in a week. I stopped to help him out ... but he didn’t feel the need to ask anybody to help; he was going to take care of it himself. He’s that kind of individual.”

If Jones’ feet were aching against Matyushenko, it did not show in his performance. The light heavyweight known as “Bones” dispatched his Belarusian opponent with elbows from the crucifix position at 1:52 of the first round in the UFC Live 2 main event. The ease with which he overwhelmed Matyushenko, a former International Fight League champion and a veteran of 30 professional fights, has become a recurring theme in the New York native’s career.

Since he first appeared in the Octagon, Jones has been the master of his domain. He signed with the UFC in 2008 as the then-youngest fighter on its roster and reeled off six increasingly impressive performances upon his arrival. His lone loss, a disqualification against Matt Hamill at “The Ultimate Fighter 10” Finale, could accurately be called a victory in disguise. Jones was so thoroughly dominant against Hamill that it is often easy to forget about the illegal 12-to-6 elbows that were responsible for his only career blemish. Chalk it up to the learning experience. “Records are for DJs,” Jones might tell you.

There are many reasons why Jones has been tabbed as a potential heir apparent to assume the mantle of Zuffa LLC figurehead once the spotlight fades from the current generation of top-tier luminaries. His accessibility, humility and polish give him a marketability that few 23-year-old fighters currently possess.

The decision to head to the Southwest and join the Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts family has only added to his credibility. Jones often makes a point of putting on a suit for public appearances, following the lead of distinguished brethren like Rashad Evans and Georges St. Pierre. However, Jones’ seemingly limitless potential for controlled violence is what makes him most appealing within the MMA world. Because of his notorious elbows, Brandon Vera makes jokes about setting off metal detectors with his face.

Jones has an uncanny self awareness regarding what all of the aforementioned elements can mean to a budding legacy. He refers to it as being the captain of one’s grid square, a phrase Jones picked up from a friend who served in the Marine Corps. Jones makes every effort he can to live by those words.

“Think about a grid, like a map, [where] you’re planning out a house,” Jones says. “You’ve got to be the master of the grid square, which means this world is so big and my grid square is my household. That’s the one piece of the world that I own. My family, my MMA career -- that’s my grid square. That’s the things in life that I can control. The key to success is to be the master of your grid square. You’ve got to be the master of the things you can control.”

All the anointing and hype can disappear with a single loss. At UFC 126 “Silva vs. Belfort,” Jones will face undefeated “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 winner Ryan Bader. It represents his toughest task to date but one that trainer Greg Jackson feels his protégé is more than capable of handling.

“He’s just flourished. Every fight he’s done very well since he’s been here. Even if we have a three-round back-and-forth war, he’s still improving and doing the right things. I’m very proud of him,” Jackson says.

To his credit, Jones seems aware of the challenge he will face at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas this Saturday. The sense of unease he has felt in the days and weeks leading up to his battle with Bader reassures Jones that he is facing the perfect caliber of opponent.

“Being nervous is what wakes me up every morning to work hard and give it all I have each day,” he says. “That’s how I know it’s the fight I wanted -- because I’m nervous. And it’s scaring me to bring out my best.”

Three Brothers

The prodigious physical gifts that have tantalized fight fans are not limited to one Jones. Athletic talent runs in the family.

Oldest brother Arthur was a fifth-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and recently completed his first season as a 6-foot-5, 315-pound defensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. Youngest brother Chandler checks in at 6-foot-5, 251 pounds and plays defensive end at Syracuse University. Jon, meanwhile, was never much for the gridiron.

“As far as Jon’s football abilities, I’d give him a three [out of 10],” Chandler says. “He can’t really catch. And he can’t really jump. He’s tough. He played defensive tackle in high school, but as far as his football ability [goes], I would honestly give him a three.”

Chandler admits that competition among the three brothers was fierce growing up in Rochester, N.Y. It did not matter what the contest involved.

“From video games to even just playing with G.I. Joes, we were very competitive. We always wanted to be the one that was the winner out of everything. Jon, he was always the one that had the temper tantrums. He would always take things personal and serious,” Chandler says.

Sometimes that temper had embarrassing consequences.

“He got beat up by a girl. This was in middle school; he was in about the seventh grade,” Chandler recalls. “I guess that he had said something about the girl’s mother, and the girl took off her shoe and beat him down. She beat him down right in the hallway in school. It’s pretty funny that he’s a professional fighter now.”

Recent months have brought a bounty of success for all three siblings. Chandler’s Orange won a bowl game, Arthur’s Ravens made it to the playoffs and, now, Jon’s fight will be featured prominently on what is traditionally one of the UFC’s biggest events each year: the Super Bowl weekend show.

Chandler concedes that watching his brother perform in the cage is not always easy.

“I feel like I get more nervous before the fight than I do before my own football games,” he says. “He trains for so long, and his fights always [seem] to go in the first round, so I feel like I would start to get nervous if any of his fights did go into the second round. I don’t lose that nervousness until my brother lays a hit.”

Continue Reading » Breaking Down Bader